'Cuz bike shorts are the new black

Main menu

Tag Archives: goals

It is safe to say that cycling has become my favorite thing. During Saturday’s ride, I was completely in love with every second. Im super thankful that I’m healthy enough to ride and that I live in the perfect place to do it. Exercising has become a huge part of my life. Its the first thing I do when I wake up and it’s something i think about during all of my free time. I love feeling healthy and fit, and I can run on the adrenaline from a good ride for hours afterwards.

But what if that was all taken away from me?

Despite how much I love exercising, I’m thankful that it doesn’t define me. I am a cyclist, but I am first and foremost a sinner saved by grace. A Christian.

The best part about that is knowing that it will never require a skill on my part. I am a cyclist because of what I do, but I am a Christian because of what I can’t do. God didn’t save me because of my “skills,” He saved me so I could simply be His.

I’m sharing this because I think it’s a good reminder for all of us with earthly goals. We are always enough, regardless of our accomplishments. Yes, we need to be responsible about our health and mindful of what we do to our bodies, but we are not worth any less if we don’t deadlift 200 lbs, or need to skip a workout. That’s why its important to know what defines you, and it’s also important to not compare yourself to others.

But that can go both ways. You are not worth more than anyone who runs less than you or who eats more cookies than you. Lets not major on the minors.

The point is that cycling and health are beautiful things. They are meant to be enjoyed, but are they really the most important thing?

I am by no means a deep guru of wisdom, but I think I have needed to set my priorities straight lately. My life is much more enjoyable when I’m on the right track, so I thought I’d share this with you.

I’m not one to be sentimental about anything. Ever. Sad movies make me laugh. Im always like “Psh they’re so dramatic. I’m glad I’m not that ridiculous. Im so tough. Give me my crossbow so I can go kill breakfast.”

Yup, not exaggerating at all.

But yesterday morning was different. Maybe it was just because it was a rest day and I can’t cope on rest days.

My iPhone calendar alert went off telling me that it was 24 hours until I would be crossing the finish line… and I think I may have shed a tear.

*queue the Schindler’s List soundtrack*

Now I know I’m a very fortunate person for many reasons — too many to name — but I went through a lengthy time of feeling weak and abnormal (due to Celiacs) and it was frankly depressing. Triathlons were a pipe dream. It was awful being sick every day and wanting to run, but turning around at the top of the street because I thought I would pass out since nothing had stayed in my system for days, if not weeks. Being treated like I was anorexic by doctors and friends really didn’t help my attitude much.

You know the story- it’s your typical “indigestion-to-riches-fairy-tale.” All of us bloggers have one.

Simply because I’m stubborn and don’t like to look weak, I kept experimenting with eating healthy until I made it a day without being sick. That took a while. Next I started to workout — no cardio, I didn’t weigh enough for that — but I did lots of strength training. Then I gained weight and I started to get stronger. Maybe even not just stronger than I used to be, but stronger than a lot of healthy people are.

And so I got a road bike. And I also ran.

And life went on like that for a while.

A few months ago, it dawned on me that I had a shot at doing this now. And so I paid the expensive triathlon fee and signed up.

And now here I am- writing on my own fitness blog, working out daily, eating healthy (and keeping it down), and getting ready to race.

You see, this triathlon for me doesn’t only represent tackling a few months of a hard training plan, it goes back years before that. This represents overcoming numerous diet, stress, strength, and life issues.

It was all worth it for many reasons, one of them being that it makes this race so much more special for me.

But enough of my bolognese. I can only be like that for so long.

So, it’s really easy for me to feel motivated because this is so meaningful for me, right? WRONG.

It takes daily encouragement, so I thought I’d share some of that with you. Some of it’s really motivating and some of it’s just distracting because sometimes I have the attention span of an 8 year old boy and need to be entertained.

Learning how to use the funky weight machines in the gym. Thus far I’ve only ever used free weights when I’m cross-training.

I’m determined to open myself up to more food groups, instead of living off of things like hummus and guacamole 24/7.

And here’s a list of the gear I’ve been using/ plan to use in the following month(s):

Lululemon Swiftly Tech Racerback – I absolutely love these for running and yoga. They’re sweat wicking and are great on their own or as a base layer on colder days. I think I need a third one…

Zoot Tri Top & Tri shorts – These are what I plan to use on race day! They’re supposed to be reflective so that the dark colors don’t get hot – we’ll see if it works 🙂

Cannondale Women’s Gel Gloves– These are more of a spring/summer item but I’ll continue to use them until I need something warmer. They’re super comfortable and I haven’t gotten any blisters since I’ve started using these – highly recommended!

C9 capris – These are great for running, cross training, and yoga when you don’t want shorts but don’t want long pants in your way. They’re quick drying and the mesh part is great for avoiding that nasty thing where you’re super sweaty behind your knees. I plan to use them all year round.

Lululemon Swiftly Tech Half Zip– Can you tell I really like things in Swiftly fabric? I can’t help it. It’s awesome. I plan to use this for morning runs (and maybe I’ll even wear it for cycling…)

Pearl Izumi Softshell Jacket – As it gets colder I’m going to look into getting one of these, but probably not for a couple of months. It looks like a good quality item, though!